Is 75 % a good case acceptance percentage?

That depends on what the 75% represents.

If the doctor routinely presents abbreviated treatment plans, then of course the percent will be higher.

It's like a quarterback with a very high "passer rating" who plays it too safe and mostly throws very short passes. Nice rating but few touchdowns. In my humble opinion, the treatment plan should add up to the doctor's definition of a healthy mouth. A good exercise to do is to take some time and sit down and write out your idea of a healthy mouth. 

Now, compare that definition to every person that comes in. Let's say a patient needs three crowns.

You tell him what he needs but then you say, “Well, lets just start with this one crown.” Right there you are skewing your true failure rate.

There is no production number you can place on it because every practice is different. A general dentist may just be doing crown and bridges so perhaps his typical case fee is $2000 per patient. Cosmetic dentists or someone who does full mouth reconstruction will do much higher than that.

The first thing to do is have the doctor keep track of how much he or she presents and how much is then scheduled immediately afterwards. Then the financial arranger should keep track of those patients who say they know they need to do the treatment but are having a tough time affording it. Then we know by this scenario that the dentist has done his job and his marketing is not going to waste.

If the patient comes to the financial arranger and asks if they have to do the whole treatment plan, then that is a sign that the doctor failed at his job of getting the patient to see the value of his dentistry. It’s a waste of your marketing dollars. 

Your treatment coordinator should have a patient who is committed to the work but is trying to figure out the payment for the service. 

Kevin Tighe, Cambridge Dental Consultants, Senior Consultant, got bitten hard by the business and marketing bug during long summer days working at his dad's Madison Avenue ad agency. After joining Cambridge as a speaker in the mid-1990s, Kevin went on to become Cambridge’s senior consultant and eventually CEO. Cambridge Dental Consultants is a full-service dental practice management company offering customized dental office manuals. Frustrated? High overhead? Schedule a chat with Kevin at